Pick-up attachment for combines



Nov. 4, 1930. G. v GELGER UP ATTACHMENT FOR COMBINES PICK- Filed Oct. 21, 1929 Ermcntor 1 l p -grain afrom'windrows and deposit ng.1t

l atentecl Nov. 4; 1930 iUN-I T'E D I r GEORGE v. cinema, or cxmnnnoiv, xAivsns, Assielvon for man-ALF 'ro mnvny is;

v composed ofvany -nnniber ot-pick -up units,

30: 1: TrAoH ENnFoR ooM mEsd lpplication med fOctober21, 1929.f serial ;1 m. 401,140.

fl hisinvention' relates to grain pick-up apparatus and ;has a'for its. object to"- provide agpickeup attachment designed especially for use on machines generally known as comsa da ap pr r y f a t e m upon :tlie :platforms 1 of combines. g e '5 A further object (isto provide -a: m a chine each free toswing -up or down to accommodate ground surfaceirmgularities and there foreoperate'elfectively in gathering and delivering practically all grainjlying in its e p haw hcu neces it in ave ine Qverifhe same ground:a'sec'ondtime.

A still further; object isfto produce pickup attachment provided with a framework inclining forwardly and downwardly and equipped 1 with ground;engaging means for maintaining the frontend ofthe framework 7' at substantially the; same distance above the vground regardless of irregularities in the surface thereof; andfor limiting the up and down movementsof the pick-up elements. 25

Astill further objectisato produce a pickup -'attaohn1ent-of the character set forthwhich, can be L easily and quickly, applied to orzremoved from a combineror thelike; Which xcan-easily-andquickly be varied in width'to accommodate the particular machine to wwhichzit is to be applied; and which .is of simple, strong, durable. "inexpensive construction.

With :the; objects mentioned in view, the invention consists in certaln novel anduse- "ful features of constructionand combina- -tions ofpartsas hereinafter I described and claimed; and in order that it may befully understood, reference is to be had-t companying. drawing, which:

0 th aci Figure '1; is a side elevation of 'a part ofa combine, equipped withfa pickeup attachment free embodying the invention, the near fwheelof'the latter being omitted.

tnres thereof.

i ground vFigure 2 .isa top plan View but with only ,a \pairhof the pick-up units in complete iform.

- Eigure 3-.is a fragmentaryi front view of the pick-up attachment minus certain feaand comparatively swing arrno a pick-up unit.

i E1gure5 '.1S\ a detail perspective view 7 PM! of shoes for use on each pick-up ilnit Y Y Figure perspective View} of the arni' forholding the front endfofthe -latter 5- alsuitable', distance above Referring now to fthe i dica e t pl tf qniva'lentimachine,

"th ig qu i drawing in f' detail, P of a combine or which may be) employed cured; to the frontledge of the 'p'latforlm fis 'a bar. 1'andfsecuredtotllelatter at or'nearithe' 1 ersesh eia pfi d e b quipped iwifl gwheel (not shown) preferably the form of angle irons and pivoted jat their rear H ends onqthe shaft '4 (and connected'"intermediate theiriends "by'a I kcrossro'd 6,'=andfeachiside bar 5"is' equipped at iits front end with a laterally-projecting stub-shaft 7 forming a; j ournalfit'or ground engaging-wheel 8 wherebyfth'e frontfendjof the framewo k is'maintained at a substam tially} uniform f distance above the; ground lat alltimes, being of course understood "that an equivalent of; the wheels "8, i the iormjuof rujnners, notshowmmay be em- .ployedif rr I e ff d byiside f e we np lslde barsof" thefframenare any "desired number of fpiclfll'p units, constructed "as follows} Swing; arm' QLr fIab F/Ibf et l and b f f ;pivotally1 niounted at their -rear e'nds' onthe 9.0 i I "shaft i4, and gprovidedi at anflintermdiate npoint with slotsl Q through-which the tie rod d-eXte'ndsfth length of thefslots deter; i miiiii t e n l up a d, Wn f p b move1nent of the swing'arm's;it beingi noted 795 .tjhat tli'e'swing' arms areindepen'dent of'eac'h lotherlso th'atany one'of them-may swing ilp or}, down without affecting the position of any-other swing arm,;this action being neces :sary toe eeemmo at ivt fi h n b zfi mo in tlie harvestingofgrain; 4 Detachabl'y se-' 60" structedjasgfollowsz i5 isa pairof-si-de bars, f

' effect dig into 7 them as they attain this spacing of 30 tive operation over an irregular ground surthe lower ends with similar bifurcations 13,.

and fitting in the former bifurcations and mounted rigidly on shaft, 4, sprocket wheels 14. Grooved guide rollers 15 fit in the bifurcations 13, and are journaledupon pins 16 extending across the bifurcations 13 and respectively carried by the individual swing arms fontlie purpose of minimizing friction, the swingarins have'slight spacing projections 17 at their front ends, and are spaced apart at their rear'ends by thin washers 18 mount-' ed on shaft 4, the arrangement being such that as the swing; arms move up anddown in their travel, the spacing jacent arms will affordthe only frictional contact between such arms at the front ends, and thewashers 18 the onlyfrictional contact at their rear ends, it being desirable that the, arms shall be made as narrow as possible so that it shall be impossible for grain to wedge between the arms and interfere with their freedom of movementQ To effect the actual pick-up and conveying operation, the sprocket wheel and roller of g each pick-up arm is connected by an endless sprocket chain 19 which rides against or con tiguous to the upper and lower sides of the arm. At suitable intervals, the endless chain or conveyor is provided at opposite sides with fingers 20 which project normally at right angles substantially, to the chain. I The fingers may'beiof any type or vconstruction which will maintain them in the position mentioned, under the pressurehof spring 21 or the like attached to the chain and bearing against the fingers, provided the fingers may be capable of yieldingbackward, as they move downwardly and forwardly, if they encounter a rock or other obstruction in their path. In such forward movement at the lower sides of the respective 'arms,'they in the mass of grain lying in their path and pick up a chargeotherefrom and carry it along the upper side of the arm and eventually discharge it down upon the platform P, all-of the arms operating in like manner and being spaced sufficiently close together to practically pick up all of the grain in ,the windrow in one passage thereover, it being noted that the respective shoes are so space that the fingers can readily pass between a position a in their forward travel adjacent the rollers 15, and the shoes, as hereinbefore mentioned, hold the it being noted in this connection that projections of addumping it at the rear respective pick-up arms a sufficient distance above the ground to enable the fingers to pass under the rollers without material repression by contact with the ground though, as stated, the fingers are capable of such repression to guard against injury or. breakage in the event they encounter a rock or surface of the ground projecting too high to be cleared in the ordinary travel of thefingers when standing at right angles to the chain or conveyors.

"It will-beapparent with the construction described, that the operation of the attachment is entirely automatic,

date the width ofthe window or the combine,

as. thejremova'l of one of the side bars of the frame can be readily efiected to permit ofthe insertion of an additional pick-up unit or units, or of the removal 'of one or more of such units, the side bar being replaced asreadily.

From the above description, it will be ap parentthat I have produced an automatic pick-up attachment for combines and the like, which embodies the features of advantage set forth as desirable in'the statement of the object, of the inventiomand which may be modified in various particulars withframework, wheels thereon, endle ss conveyors extending along the top and bottom of the swlng arms respectively and engaging said wheels, and fingers on said conveyors for picking up grain from the ground and ends of said swing arms. a a

. 2. A pick-up attachment, comprising a framework pivotally supported at its rear vend, forupand down movement, and provided at its front end with ground-engaging devices, a seriesof' lownwardly and forwardly sloping swing arms pivotallysupported at their, 'rearends for independent swinging movement in a vertical plane,

ground-engaging shoes holding the front ends of the'respectives'wing arms above the ground, :a driven shaft journaled in the framework, wheels thereon, endless conveyors extending along the. top and bottom of the swing arms respectively and engaging said wheels, fingers on sald conveyors for and that the width of the attachment can be varied to accommoground, a driven shaft journaledf in the v I engaging said driven wheel and roller-and means picking'up grain frointhe ground and dump-V i mg it at the rear ends of said swing arms,

thereof and a tie rod carried by and extendingfrom one side of the framework-to the other and. occupying a position in the path of the swing arms to limit upw'ard 'movement ,3. A pick-up, attachment, comprising a framework consistingno-f side bars having ground-engaging devices at their front ends andpivotally supported at theirrear ends for up and down movement, one or more swing arms between said side bars andpivotally supported at their rear'ends, spaced ground-engaging shoes attached to the front end of each swing arm tohold such end clear front and rear end vertical bifurcations, sprocket wheels, on said shaft within the saidrear endbifurcations, rollers suitably journaled in thejfrontend bifurcations of the swmg arms, endless chains engaging the respec'tive sprocket wheels and rollers of said swing arms, chains and 7 adapted to pick up grain and carry it; up

itat the rear endszofthe latter down upon the platform. j i In testimony whereofI affix my signature: c GEORGE V. GILGER,

ofythe ground, a driven wheel in line with Y each swlng arm and mounted coaxlally Wltll the axis of movement thereof, a roller at the swing arms betweensaidside bars and pivotally supported at their rear ends, spaced ground-engaging shoes attached to the front end of eachswing. arm tohold such end clear of the ground, a driven wheel in line with eachiswing arm and mounted coaxi ally with the axis of movement thereof, a roller at the frontend'of each swing arm, and a conveyor extending longitudinally of and around the respective swing arm, and provided with spaced teeth for passing successively between the shoes and gathering up grain and con veying itupwar'dly upon the swing arm and eventually discharging it rearward thereof; saidswing arms having slots, and a tie rod extending from one side of the frame to the other and extending through said slots; e 5. The combination with a platform of a harvesting machine, of a pair ofstandards 'mounted on saidplatform, a driven trans verse shaft journaled in said standard,

atpair of side bars pivoted on the shaft c extending downwardly and forwardly and provided with ground-engaging, devices at their front ends, a tie. rod connecting the side bars at an intermediate point of their length, series of swing arms paralleling and between said side bars and pivoted at their rear ends on said shaft and'each provided at its front end with a pair of spaced ground-engaging shoes; eachswing arm having a slot engaging the tie rod and on the swing arms and discharge V and fingers projecting from said 

